Heavyweight pump manufacturer enters marine market
During a visit to the Grundfos factory, the Motorship was shown a large selection of marine pump systems developed for a wide range of marine applications including seawater cooling, ballast water, bilge, fire and general services. Although the purchase price of pumps is relatively small, most of the costs are incurred from the energy that pumps use when in operation which is why the company’s main objective is to ensure low energy consumption and consequently reduced operating costs.
Being able to efficiently control the speed of a vessel’s cooling pumps according to the temperature of the sea significantly reduces energy consumption and costs below deck. Grundfos’ speed-controlled cooling solutions for marine applications offer a claimed savings of up to 50%. The advanced technology automatically adjusts the speed of the cooling pumps according to the actual temperature of the seawater which means that no energy is wasted cooling the engine at maximum speed when there is in fact no need for it.
Cooling solutions are designed to cool at a constant seawater temperature of 32 °C, regardless whether the vessel is sailing around the Persian Golf or the Baltic Sea in January. Grundfos now breaks with this, offering a variable-speed alternative that is as beneficial to the environment as it is to the ship owner’s economy. Reduced energy consumption equals reduced CO2 emissions and fuel costs, an increasingly important factor in every industry and one that Grundfos takes very seriously.
One of the main models Grundfos is promoting is the VLS vertical in-line marine pump designed to cope with all water services aboard ships and is ideal for space saving
‘in-line’ pumping applications. Offering a double volute design and a vented mechanical seal, this pump promises an extended operating life, a high efficiency of up to 88%, low NPSH (net positive suction head) value and easy maintenance.
The advanced Grundfos solution efficiently controls the speed of virtually any Grundfos pump, new or old, irrespective of size and power range. The series is suitable for a variety of marine applications including seawater cooling pumps, freshwater cooling pumps, boiler feed and utilities (HVAC, water supply etc.).
The versatility of the advanced solution makes way for enormous energy savings on a vessel and the advanced controls are part of Grundfos’ comprehensive E-solution programme of speed-controlled pump systems developed to make way for more energy-efficient operations. This makes sense since around 70% of the total cost incurred over a variable-speed pump’s life is attributed to energy consumption.
One of the more outstanding pumps in the Grundfos range is the CRT (vertical multistage centrifugal pump) model where all components in contact with the pumped liquid are made of titanium. This is particularly important when handling sea water since this metal is impervious to the extremely corrosive properties of sea water. The presence of sea water severely reduces the working life of equipment such as pumps leading to costly and time-consuming maintenance and repairs.
Grundfos says that its full titanium CRT pump is the only one of its kind produced in this corrosion-resistant material. Offering operating pressure of up to 25 bars, the service-friendly CRT can be used for seawater and chemicals. Although more expensive, titanium is much lighter than the stainless steel normally used for this application. Situations where sea water is pumped include ballast pumps, cooling and fire-fighting.
As an endorsement of its quality, Grundfos is authorised by the top international classification societies to classify pumps and pump parts. Theses certificates are delivered with an inspection certificate made up in accordance with the European standard EN 10204.3.1 C.
